Loneliness

Jesus says, "I will be with you..." which has always helped me deal with loneliness.

The church that Hebrews is written too is encouraged to not stop meeting, which could also be a cure for loneliness.

 

Funny that you're talking about this today... a friend(?) sent this to me earlier this last week! Only intended as a joke... not to despair anyone on BB!

http://www.despair.com/loneliness.html

 

There might be 6.5B people on the planet, but we tend to live fast paced lives. Most people I know don't take time for much in the way of relationships other then close family. Many have no actual friends, just people they talk to at work or church.
Which is sad.

 

These were hilarious.

 

You're Never Really Alone....

Even though the Lord promises to "Be with us always..." loneliness is a really problem with most people I've talked with at group and Bible studies. I know this to be true, because I often feel the loneliest when I'm among a crowd of people.

 

I know the Bible says:

But it sure does not feel that way sometimes. That’s when I have to remind myself that our faith is not based on feelings but on God’s word.

I can relate to what DonnA said about not having any friends, but it is not because I don’t want to and not because I won’t take time to. It is just that people are such lying backstabbing deceitful hypocrites. (can you feel any anger there?) And yes church people are worse than the world. The most honest people I know are lost. I don’t think I have any real friends among my family. You can’t be a friend to your kids. I love them and they love me, but they can’t give me the companionship a friend could. I have prayed for a friend for years. Believe it or not even the anonymous contact here on BB is a huge boost to me many days.

One thing that has kept me going recently is the Casting Crowns song, “Praise you in this storm.” The lyrics really capture what I feel in my life right now. I pray and pray and pray and nothing is ever answered and nothing ever changes. I know God is there because he told me he would be, but I can just barely hear the wisper of his voice. I feel alone and forsaken. I have tried to serve God and feel I have received only tribulation. Yet I will raise my hands and praise God anyway. Not for what He has done for me, but just because of who He is.

Casting Crowns:

 

Missionaries often face loneliness. I still fight it occasionally after almost 27 years on the field. Several times over the years I've had other missionaries literally beg me to come and work with them, and I know then what they are going through.

We spent thirteen years in Yokohama (including furloughs) as the only IFB missionaries in that city of 3 million. We were the only missionaries of any kind in our ward of 180,000 people. Our closest friends in the ministry were about three hours away, so we could only make that trip a couple of times a year. Some time after we got there a military work was started a half hour away from us at the Yokosuka Naval Base, and we had sweet fellowship with those folk about once a month. We probably wouldn't still be on the field if it weren't for those precious people.

That left the vast majority of our time with no American fellowship and only a tiny church with just a few immature believers. Here is what happened through all of that. We were driven of necessity to walk with Jesus and fellowship closely with Him. This doesn't make us super Christians, it makes us very needy Christians. There was no other way. Either we walked with Jesus or we walked with nobody most of the time.

Enoch walked with God. Abraham was the "friend of God." God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to his friend. John taught us to "abide in Christ" and "walk in the light as He is in the light." Paul taught us to walk in Christ as we have received Him (Col. 2:6). So, how does the Bible teach to overcome loneliness? Walk with God! :type:

Oh yes. And eventually you must learn to fall in love with God's people, even the immature ones the bitter ones, the new Christians, the old sour Christians, the mentally ill ones, the superior ones--all of them!

 

This is the part I didn't want to add(afraid of the fall out from posting it).
I do not have friends currently as I've been ' stabbed in the back' too many times. Each was by christian 'frineds'. It seems to be rare to find a christian who does not live as the world, treating people like you expect the world too, not as you expect christians too. Sometimes I'm not sure I want a friend, to have the risks agains, and sometimes I badly need real people, (as compared to internet people), but who can I trust christians when have hurt me the most. I have also prayed for years God would chose a friend for me, as I apparently have not made the best choices for friendship in the past.
I do have to say that my husband is the best friend I've ever had, we talk and share, and spend most of our time together. But I need a different friend sometimes.

 

DonnA, my heart goes out to you. I urge you to continue to pray for friends, and continue to reach out again to love and help people.

My wife went for many years here in Japan with no real friends. The Japanese believers in the Kanto Plain were too busy with their own lives, and no Americans who believed like us ever lived anywhere near us. After we moved up here, the lost Japanese lady across the street took an interest in here, and now for ten years or so they've met once a week for Japanese and English study. We're still praying for her salvation. Now recently another lost lady has latched onto Patty, but this one comes to church, and we trust she'll be saved soon.

 

Donna

Donna, I once felt lonely as well in the congregation.

What ended up helping me was realizing that there must be other folks feeling the same exact way.....one day I took out the church directory and just started calling the elderly in the church. I introduced myself and asked if there was anything I could pray about for them. You wouldn't believe how surprised folks were by getting called like that out of the blue.

Some of the elderly we have had over to the house....what a pleasure it was to see how happy they were to be even thought of....!!! I bet if you did something similar, you would really bless someone's day, sister!!! I found myself being filled with joy just by reaching out like that...it actually edified me, ended up benefiting me more than them, I think!

Your sister in Christ,
Beth